RELIGIOUS ATTENDANCE AND THE SUBJECTIVE HEALTH OF THE ELDERLY

Religious research shows that among the elderly, church attendance is positively correlated with subjective health. Typical explanations for this correlation suggest that church attendance provides social support which leads to positive evaluations of one's health. Recently, several religious scholars have suggested that the correlation between church attendance and subjective health may be spurious because both church attendance and subjective health are correlates of one's physical capacity. This study shows that among the elderly church attendance has a positive, statistically significant effect on subjective health even when simultaneously controlling for other possible explanatory variables. We argue that religious commitment facilitates adjustment to the latter stages of life and leads to a positive evaluation of one's health.